1998 Rockford Cabernet Sauvignon 375ml Half Bottle

375ml Half Bottle. Cellar Scuffed Label.

Overview

A mature Barossa Cabernet from Rockford, one of the region's best-known traditional producers. The 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon combines concentrated black fruit with earthy, cedar and liquorice notes, while its unusual 375ml half-bottle format adds further interest for collectors of mature Australian wine.

Winemaking

Rockford's original back label describes the wine as an expression of regional Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were fully ripened, fermented in open slate tanks and matured in American and French oak hogsheads for two years before bottling and release after further ageing.

Producer Tasting Notes

Back Label Notes: “Cabernet Sauvignon can be a bit mean and lean for me. This wine is a chance to show how a region combined with the winemaker's philosophy can have a real impact on the kind of wine made from this variety. The grapes were fully ripened, fermented in open slate tanks, aged in American and French oak hogsheads for 2 years, bottled and released after further ageing. The result is a rich voluptuous wine, big and soft in the middle with a lovely earthy finish. The kind of wine I like to drink.”

Critic Reviews

Robert Parker: 90 Points
“This very youthful, ruby/purple-colored wine offers up notes of cassis and earth. The wine has not yet begun to emerge from its recent bottling, but shows terrific depth, purity, and density, with plenty of black fruits intermixed with some cedar and licorice.”
February 2002

CellarTracker: 93/100

Producer

Rockford is a traditional Barossa Valley producer based at Krondorf. Its wines draw on established Barossa vineyards and traditional winemaking methods, with the winery particularly associated with preserving the character and heritage of the region.

Specifications

• Vintage: 1998
• Producer: Rockford Wines
• Grape Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
• Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia
• Bottle Size: 375ml Half Bottle
• Alcohol: 13.5%
• Fermentation: Open slate tanks
• Maturation: 2 years in American and French oak hogsheads